I have two performances left and then I am sure I will have to find something else to occupy my time, but seeing as how I'm in Ireland and we're in the thick of summer that shouldn't be a problem. Anyways, the performances have been going well, it's in a small venue and for the most part the audiences have been pretty decent, both in size and their attention span. In fairness the play is three hours and despite air conditioning the theatre has been getting very hot. We have been reviewed by entertainment.ie, yay.ie and the Irish Times. The reviews have been mixed, from what I have heard, I haven't actually read any of them. My own feelings on the experience, at the moment, are a bit mixed though I won't divulge much in case any fellow cast members stumble upon this. Overall it has been fun and very exciting to be in my first production here in Dublin. I love Hamlet, I think it is one of my favourites and one of Shakespeare's (or Beacon's) best. We can save the debate on who the actual writer is for another time. I think I became more excited when a fellow cast member and I were realizing which characters in the Lion King we were (yes, the Lion King is based on Hamlet sans all the characters dying). I am a few smaller roles but am probably closest to Zazu, the obnoxious bird. This is of course if you indulge me and assume that Rafiki and not Zazu was meant to encapsulate Polonius. I will spare you and not go into the rest of the characters.
In my little amounts of spare time I went to the international street performance festival which was held over a weekend several weeks ago here in Dublin. I saw mimes and lots of jugglers accomplishing various fantastic feats like juggling a running chainsaw or balancing on a unicycle. It was fun to enjoy an old fashioned type of entertainment set in the old Georgian area of Dublin. Of course it rained but because we are used to that here everyone braved the weather to watch the talented performers. I also visited my friend H. at her new job as a tour guide at the Leprechaun Museum, no leprechauns to be seen but a few exhibits on Irish folklore. I'd say it's more for the kiddies.
It is still very light out late at night here which I love. It is very surreal to be leaving the theatre at 11 walking home in twilight. The seagulls are a bright white against the dark but not yet black sky and it's little moments like these where I find myself waxing poetic that it is not surprising that Ireland has such a rich literary culture.
Saturday night, after the play, I went out with some of my cast mates. We were exhausted having done two shows that day, but we decided to go out anyways. We had a great time, though unfortunately my ipod got stolen! And my sunglasses were stepped on and ruined. This has been my first major tragedy since moving to Ireland, so I guess that's not so bad, but all the same I was bummed. For the ipod thief, however, my ipod is an ancient first generation nano and hasn't been updated to the latest itunes software in years so good luck with that. And my name is engraved on the back so it will never let you forget of your thievery. There I feel better now. I suppose this is a lesson in a. being more careful with my belongings and b. not becoming attached to material possessions. Ce la vie.
Last Sunday was my first day off from Hamlet and it was a gorgeous day! I went with my friends R. and B. to A. and M.'s place across the square from me were we had a lovely barbecue on the roof. We played Texas Hold 'em and I was very close to winning but then at the very end my luck turned and R. won. I did have some of the best hands of the day though including a full house, straight, and a straight flush. Then B. challenged me to a round of foozeball but unfortunately I lost at that as well. We may be having a poker re-match tomorrow.
Monday I went with Australian A. and a few fellow Americans to the lovely beach town of Bray. We had chips and strolled along the boardwalk for a bit and then decided to do the famous cliff walk along the beach that ends in Greystones, the next town over. The views were spectacular and it was great to be outside by the water. When we got back to Dublin we had a few pints in honor of the 4th of July and played a game of pool, which I lost, but hey at least I'm trying.
Well I think I have you caught up as best as I can! Promise I'll get back to my more regularly scheduled programming soon!
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